Monday, 19 December 2016

Meeting Internet Friends

The internet has its downfalls but being able to connected with people with similar music tastes or views from across the globe, all from the comfort of your bed has to be the best thing. My very first internet friend was my current best friend Roni, who I started speaking to via twitter back in 2012 and it just happened that we were at the same high school but had never crossed paths.

When meeting internet friends, it is best to get to know them inside out first. Perhaps exchange numbers once you are comfortable with each other and text frequently, if you both have apple devices Facetime? or even Skype? Getting to know internet friends really well is the foundation to building a strong friendship before planning the big meet up. Make sure you meet in a public area and that your parents, guardians, boyfriend, girlfriend or whom ever you live with are aware of your whereabouts and send regular updates when you are travelling to and from the meeting place. Both for safety reasons and in case the person is a catfish.

This summer, I did just that. After almost a year of speaking to Dalal Tahira from Monochrome Daisies, we finally arranged to meet up. I live in Luton whilst Dalal lives in London, which are 20-30 minutes apart via train and tube so it was not too far to travel. We decided to meet in central London, visited some touristy areas, grabbed some pizza and just enjoyed each other's company from beyond the computer screen.

Have you made internet friends? If so, how long have you been speaking and have you or are you planning to meet in real life?